Alternating-current regulator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D.0.HULL. ALTERNATING CURRENT REGULATOR. No. 593,050. Patented Nova2,1897.

fqfn 65d 80 r J fnv7ZTQ/$' IM (9W, W 1% (No Model.) 2 SheetsQ-Sheet 2.

D. O. HULL.

ALTERNATING CURRENT REGULATOR.

No. 593,050. Patented Nov. 2,1897.

f r? l 6 6 1] UNrTEn STATES.

PATENT @rrrcn.

DANIEL OSCAR HULL, OF CLYDE, OHIO.

ALTERNATlNG-CURRENT REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,050, dated November2, 1897. Application filed October 17, 1895.1 Serial No. 565,947. (Nomodel.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL OSCAR HULL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Clyde, in the county of Sandusky and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forControlling the Current in Circuits Fed from Alter nating-CurrentConstant-Potential Mains; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The object of my invention is to automatically maintain any desiredcurrent (up to the capacity of the system) in a circuit which is fedfrom alternating-current constant (or approximately constant) potentialmains, whatever be the number or resistance of the translating deviceswhich may be connected in or cut out of said circuit. These results aresecured in the manner and by the means hereinafter described, and theinvention is definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view, partly diagrammatic, of a circuitand apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail viewof the switch for governing the motor which effects the desiredregulation. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mechanism for operating theauto-converter brush or contact finger. Fig. 4: is a vertical sectionalview on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 ofFig. 3. Fig. 6,is a horizontal sectional view on line 6 6 of Fig. 4:.

Referring to the parts by letters, A A represent the twoalternating-current constantpotential mains.

B represents an auto-converter which is connected across said mains. Thewindings of the auto-converter are connected at suitable intervals withcontact-plates b. The circuit which it is desired to control has oneterminal permanently connected with one main A, while the other terminalis connected with the movable brush D, which may be moved into contactwith any one of the contact-plates b.

The translating devices 0 may be of any desired character and may beadapted. to be independently connected in the circuit in series or cutout, as desired. It is evident that by the movement of this brush D backand forth over the contact-pieces b any desired potential differencebetween the termi nals of the circuit to be regulated (up to thecapacity of the system) can be obtained.

"When the translating devices C, which may be arc-lights, are located ata distance from the controlling mechanism and are liable to be severallyturned on or off at any time, it is desirable to provide means whichwill act automatically to regulate the potential difference of theterminals and keep the current constant in the circuit notwithstandingthe variations in resistance due to turning any number of lights on oroff. The automatic movement of the brush D, as shown in the drawings, iseffected by an induction-motor, and the direction in which the armatureof said motor moves is governed by the switch G, which switch isactuated by the core of the solenoid-magnet I, connected in the circuitto be controlled. v

A particularly effective construction, co1nbination, and arrangement ofparts for automatically moving the brush D back and forth upon the smallcontact-pieces b and for giving a quick make and break to the brush andcontact-pieces is shown in Figs. 3 to 6. The contact-pieces b arearranged in the arc of a circle. I The brush 'D is carried on the wheelN, mounted in the center of said are. The wheel is agear-wheel, which isconnected by a train ofv gears h h h2 with the motor H.

The brush D is secured to the under side of a metallic bar d, and thisbar is pivotally connected with the outer end of the two or moreparallel bars (1 (1 which are in turn pivoted to the bracket 17.,carried by but insulated from the Wheel N. This bracket 72 is connectedby Wire 02 with the main A. The bar at is always parallel with a chordwhich passes through these pivots of the bars d d which connect themwith the bracket n. Springs 61 engage with the middle bar cl and tend tohold it in a radial position.

A ring K is fixed outside of the row of contact-pieces I), and it isprovided with an overhanging :iiange 7c. On the under side of thisflange are depending pins it, which are arranged one above each of thespaces between the contact-pieces I). The outer end of the middle bar(1! projects so far that when said bar is in a radial position it willenter between two adjacent pins 7c the brush D being at this time incontact with that one of the contact-pieces b which lies between saidpins. \Vhen the wheel N moves in either direction, the engagement ofsaid bar d with one pin 7; causes the bars (Z (Z to turn upon theirpivotal connections with brackets 11 until the end of the bar (7/, beingdrawn inward by such movement, may pass said pin 7;. The spring (Z thenswings said bars back to their normal position, and the end of themiddle bar (1 strikes and is stopped by the next pin 7;. As the saidbars (1 d are moving upon their pivots to one side or the other of theradial po sition the brush D is drawn inward or toward the axis of thewheel. The contact between it and the contact-pieceb is not broken,however, nor is any contact made between it and any other contact-pieceuntil the bar (2' slips past the pin 7c, with which it is then incontact. Immediately thereafter as the arms (1 (7 move, as described, tothe radial position the brush D is quickly carried from onecontact-piece Z) to the next one.

The circuit of the translating devices is divided at a point between thesolenoid I and the motor ll, one part of the current passing over thewire j in which an inductive resistance J is connected, while the otherportion passes over a wire j, in which a non-ind uctive resistance isconnected. The ends of these wires are connected with contact-pieces gwhich are secured to but insulated from the under side of a pivotedlever g, and are indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and shown morefully in Fig. 2. The end of this lever is connected by a link t' withthe core of the solenoid. g g" represent curved contactplates which liebeneath the lever g, their ends being so close together that the spacebetween them may be bridged by the contact-pieces 9 The motor II has twofield-circuits, the wiresjj being parts of these circuits. The first ofthese wires is connected with the contactplate 9, the other with thecontact-plate hen the desired current is flowing through the circuit ofthe translating devices, the contact-pieces g" are in contact with both0011- tact-plates g g, being held in this position by the action of thesolenoid upon the lever g. Under these conditions neither of the motorfield-circuits has the lead, and therefore the .motor does not move, butwhen by connecting into the circuit one or more of the translatingdevices or by disconnecting some of the said translating devices thecurrent is temporarily decreased or increased the solenoidcore is causedto move out of or into the coil, with the, result of moving the lever 9so that each of the contact-pieces g" is in contact with only one of thecontact plates 9 g". That one of the field-circuits which includes thenon-inductive resistance gets the lead of the other field-circuit, andthe motor begins to move in one direction or the other, as the case maybe. This causes the brush D to be moved from the contact-pieces Z) inthe proper direction and far enough to restore the current to its normalamount.

Having described my invention, 1 claim 1. In an apparatus formaintaining a constant current in a circuit ted from alternating-currentconstant-potential mains, in combination, an auto-converter connectedacross said mains, a row of contact-pieces connected with the windingsof said auto-converter, a movable brush adapted to contact with any ofsaid contactpicces, the circuit to be controlled connected at oneterminal with one of the mains and at the other with said. brush, aninduction-motor, and a solenoid, both connected in said circuit, areversing motorswitch connected in the circuit between the solenoid andmotor, mechanism connecting the movable part of said switch with thearmature of said solenoid, and mechanism for transmitting motion fromthe motor to the converter-brush, substantiallyas and for the purposespecified.

2. In an apparatus for maintaining a constant current in a circuit fedfrom alternating-current constant-potential mains, in con1 bination, anauto-converter connected across said mains, a series of contact-piccesarranged in a circular arc and connected with the windings of saidconverter, a gear-wheel. mounted concentrically with said series ofcontactpieces, a brush carried thereby and adapted to contact with anyof said contact-pieces, the circuit to be controlled connected at oneterminal to said brush and at the other with one of the mains, aninduction-motor, and a solenoid, both connected in the circuit to beregulated, a train of gears connecting said motor with thebrush-carrying gear and a reversing motor-switch operated by thesolenoid, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of a series of contacts, a movable brush-carrier, twoor more parallel bars pivoted thereto, a bar pivoted to all of said barsand lying parallel to a plane passing through said pivots, a brushcarried by said bar, a series of pins adapted to engage with one of theparallel bars, and a spring for returning said parallel bars in thedescribed normal position, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

4. The combination of a series of contact pieces arranged in a circularare, a wheel pivoted at the center of said are, a ring fixed outside ofsaid contact-pieces and having an nial position, substantially as andfor the pur 1o overhanging flange, and a series of pins deposespecified.

pending from said flange, with two or more In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature parallel bars pivoted to and projecting out in presence oftwo Witnesses.

from said Wheel, a bar pivoted to the ends of said bars and lyingparallel to a plane pass- DANIEL OSCAR HULL ing' through the pivots ofsaid parallel bars, /Vitnesses: a brush secured to the said bar, and aspring ALBERT LONGBRAKE,

for returning said parallel bars to their nor- JOSEPH HLAVAOK.

